No Wonder California Is Broke

They prefer protecting fish to protecting taxpayers. In 2007, a federal judge ordered water authorities to reduce the amount of water they pump through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in order to protect the delta smelt, a small fish about as long as your finger. This year they will pump only 20% of the amount of water usually pumped to the area. In response, over 37,000 have lost jobs and people are moving out of the area as fast as they can, taking their tax money with them.

The ruling was just one more piece of litigation involving the infamous Endangered Species Act. All too often ESA litigation rulings favor animals’ supposed needs over man’s.

People in Georgia are also very aware of the ESA since they have been involved in water fights with the Corps of Engineers and Florida. The Atlanta area had to enforce severe water restrictions for the last few years because of a drought made worse by the Corps of Engineers releasing more water to Florida than they were supposed to from Lake Lanier, the main water supply for the growing metropolis. When Florida received less water than before, they filed an ESA lawsuit because they feared the reduction would interfere with the spring spawning season of fewer than 10 Gulf sturgeon, a federally protected, prehistoric fish. But then, in Florida it was not against the law to water your yard or wash your car, nor were you encouraged to save 15% of the water usage inside the house.